[Editor's Note: Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be presenting my favorite local songs of the year, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1, one track a day. Today, we take an in-depth look at song No. 16 on the list--and click after the jump for a free download of the track. Lastly, keep checking back to see how the list pans out, and, also after the jump, check out songs No. 40-26 in the Top 40 list that will update as it grows...]

There comes an inherent pressure with being a younger sibling. A path, in some ways, has already been paved before you. And for Paul North, younger brother of Sleep Whale co-founder Joel North, the path already blazed by his family was something of an intimidating one: Sleep Whale, after all, since its debut under the name of mom, has always been something of a critical darling, both around these parts and beyond. If Paul was supposed to make a name for himself musically (beyond simply being Joel's younger brother), he had his work cut out for him.

With his Sunnybrook project, though, the younger North ended up turning heads on his own merit. And, at least partially, he did so by expanding upon the work of his older brother.

So, on many levels, it makes perfect sense that, when the elder North's band changed its name from mom to Sleep Whale, one of its official tasks included welcoming the younger North, a former backing player in the outfit, into the formal lineup. Sonically, his influence there is already clear. Here's hoping, though, that his duties with Sleep Whale won't derail his promising efforts as Sunnybrook.